Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes
by LostSchizophrenic
Summary: A look at the various relationships shared by the characters in Superman Returns. Follows SR. Please read and review! My first Superman fanfic. Rating for safety only.
1. Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes

**A/N:** This is my very first Superman story, so be nice, please. Lyrics (in italics) taken from the song 'Build God, Then We'll Talk' by Panic! At the Disco. Follows SR.

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own the Superman universe or the lyrics.

**Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes**

_Along with the people inside…  
What a wonderful caricature of intimacy!  
Inside, what a wonderful caricature of intimacy!_

Their smiles were plastic, the words worn and hollow. It was like a dance. One of forced happiness and pretended ignorance.

Her kisses were empty, devoid of anything but appearances. Every day she woke up beside this good man, wishing he were someone else. For years she'd managed to fool herself into thinking he was the one she wanted, that it would just take time. And why couldn't she just love him? Why? He had been there through everything. He had dried her tears, held her hand, raised her son as his own, saved her when she'd been plummeting to rock bottom. Why couldn't she love him? They both knew she wasn't his and never would be.

He looked at her, hiding his longing. He wanted her to be his, had waited, had hoped and even prayed. He loved her more than he ever thought possible, her and their son—_her_ son. He'd known going in that she had missing pieces, pieces that were not his and never would be and he'd told himself it didn't matter. But now…The one who held the missing pieces of her heart and soul had come back. Worse, it was someone he could never hope to compete with. Instead, he pretended nothing had changed, that he didn't know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she would never, ever be his, that there was still a chance she could move on and love him.

It was easier to pretend. Instead of admitting it, both continued in the twisted, dark dance of denial. Routines were observed like religious rituals, the smiles and touches and meals devoid of any real meaning but that of hiding the truth.

Lois Lane and Richard White had the perfect life together. A perfect lie.

_What a wonderful caricature of intimacy!  
Inside, what a wonderful caricature of intimacy!_

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	2. All the Pieces Fall Apart

**A/N:** I originally intended the first chapter to be a one-shot piece on Lois and Richard, but, well, I like to please my reviewers and it sounded like you wanted more…

**All the Pieces Fall Apart**

_One more kiss could be the best thing _

_Or one more lie could be the worst_

_And all these thoughts are never resting _

_And you're not something I deserve_

_In my head there's only you now_

_This world falls on me_

_In this world, there's real and make believe_

_This seems real to me_

_You love me, but you don't know who I am_

_I'm torn between this life I lead_

_And where I stand_

_You love me, but you don't know who I am_

_So let me go_

_Let me go_

He would give anything to tell her his secret. To shed the glasses, sweep her off her feet and tell her. But he couldn't. Instead he waved cheerfully and gave her a silly grin, not letting his sadness show when she just gave him an indulgent smile and rolled her eyes a little. It was a morning ritual she didn't know existed.

The scene played in his head as he watched her read a bedtime story to their son. Everyone said Lois Lane loved Superman. It was no secret. He cherished every moment spent with her. Lately, however, some part of him had begun to doubt. He had never lied to her outright, but wasn't it a lie all the same to kiss her and say that he loved her, only to hold back from telling her who he was? He knew he didn't deserve her. Yes, Lois Lane loved him. But he wondered how you could love anyone you didn't truly know.

She watched as he smiled at their son tenderly and tucked him in. It amazed her how easily he had taken to the role—even if it was just while Jason slept. He was so strong, but could be so gentle. How had he learned to be so careful? The longer she watched the more she realized just how little she knew about the father of her child. She could rattle off a list of statistics—height, weight, weaknesses, abilities—but she didn't truly _know_ him. She loved him, she told herself. And she ignored the little voice in the back of her mind asking her if she would still love him if she really knew him, if he became less than the icon wrapped in crimson and cobalt and was just a man.

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	3. This May Call for a Proper Introduction

**A/N:** Chapter Three! Jimmy. I must say, I had a little more difficulty with this one than the other two chapters…I hope you like it! Please review and let me know!

**This May Call for a Proper Introduction**

_Swear to shake it up, and you swear to listen  
Oh, we're still so young, desperate for attention  
I aim to be, your eyes_

He was overlooked, ignored, stepped on, and patronized. He was the one no one noticed. No one but Clark, that is. To the rest of the Planet's staff, he was nothing but a glorified errand boy. He'd dreamed of being a great photographer. When a job had opened for an assistant at the Planet, he'd jumped, thinking that he'd learn from the best, watch them work. But he'd been wrong. Instead of loading film into a camera, he loaded paper into printers, made coffee, copied, faxed, and mailed millions of sheets of paper and never once touched a camera. No one thanked him for his diligence, in fact, Perry White threatened to fire him at least twice a week. Until Clark.

Clark Kent had made him feel human again and not like gum on the bottom of a shoe. In return he defended the shy, clumsy man from the vicious, cruel, and often demeaning office gossip that circulated. He studied Clark, noting that, while he was shy and clumsy, he was more competent than half the other writers on the staff. While they struggled to rise above mediocrity, he was partnered with Lois Lane—absorbing the headstrong woman's temper with a quiet, steady acceptance. It probably helped that he had a crush on her, but Jimmy was still impressed despite himself. Lois Lane worked alone. No partner or assistant lasted more than a week. But Clark lasted. And Jimmy learned.

He learned to wait. He wanted the attention, the glory and fame desperately. He wanted to jump right in and turn the mundane, everyday world on its head with his pictures. But from Clark he learned instead to watch. Observation was, at least in the older man's arsenal, a far more powerful tool than constantly locking horns with those around him. And slowly, Jimmy's perspective changed. Soon, instead of wanting to be brash and bold and scream statements with every shot, he simply wanted to observe the unobserved, shed light on the overlooked. To be the eyes of those who hadn't seen or wouldn't see.

The day Jimmy Olsen realized his new mindset, he was handed a camera and his only regret was that Clark wasn't there so Jimmy could thank him for what he'd learned.

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	4. I am Too Weak to be Your Cure

**A/N:** So…Chapter Four…This one is Richard alone…The song is definitely out of context, so please don't tell me that, I already know…Please, please review! I love reviews, they keep me sane…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Superman universe or the lyrics to the song "Guernica"...

**I am Too Weak to be Your Cure**

_I sat alone and waited out the night.  
The best part of what has happened was the part I must have missed.  
So I'm asking you to shine it on and stick around._

He studied her profile as she slept, heart aching. She was right there and yet…He knew she was already gone. She had never been his. Carefully, not wanting to wake her, he got out of bed and walked through the house then outside to the pier.

When he had met her, she'd been hurt, a giant hole ripped in her heart for everyone to see, though she tried to hide it. At first it hadn't mattered that she had missing pieces, ones that would never belong to him, because she needed him, needed his kindness and stability and he had given it willingly, loving her more every day. He had hoped that, with time, those holes, the missing pieces would be filled by what he offered. Until recently he had thought it still possible. Until Superman returned.

The day the world had witnessed the return of the hero, Richard felt a jolt to the bottom of his soul as Lois spoke forcefully about how she didn't want anything to do with the icon, that she had already covered his story before, that someone else could do it now…(The lady doth protest too much, methinks…) But as quickly as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it, remembering that she had been closer to Superman than anyone else on the planet, as far as the world knew, anyway. She had every right to be hurt when he left without a word—and she had been. He had forgotten, briefly, that it had been the hero's disappearance that seemed to be the core of her hurt when they'd met. He'd managed to fool himself into believing it was something else as they raised a son together, as they grew closer.

But there was always a distance there that he had never seemed to be able to cross. That was why they had been engaged for so long—she had never felt ready to set a date. Now he wondered where all that time had gone. Five years and it hardly seemed more than a few days. He had always looked forward to what they would have, the time they would spend together. And in looking forward so steadfastly, he wondered how he had managed to miss the best part of what he had. Something he was losing more and more as the days ran on. He hadn't wanted to accept it. It was only when he saw the pair together—Lois Lane and Superman—that he had realized what part of him had always known. He wasn't strong enough. He was too weak to be the cure for her broken heart and shattered soul. In the moment he realized that, Richard White suddenly understood the pain he'd tried to rescue her from far better than he ever would have imagined.

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	5. Between the Lines

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to all my reviewers--especially **Volucris12**! I'm not entirely sure how many chapters this fic will be, but there will be at least two more. I hope you enjoy this latest installment...and as always--_**PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS!**_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of it! The song belongs to The Fray and the characters belong to a bunch of people that are not me...

**Between the Lines  
**

_Let him know that you know best  
Cause after all you do know best  
Try to slip past his defense  
Without granting innocence  
Lay down a list of what is wrong  
The things you've told him all along  
And pray to God he hears you_

She studied the man sitting across from her with a look only a mother could give. It didn't matter that he was over a foot taller than her slight frame and had abilities she could only dream of. She was his mother and that meant it was her job to keep him in perspective.

He had gotten very good at putting up walls over the years, only letting what he wanted people to see be shown, but she broke through all those walls to see what he was hiding—the uncertainty, guilt, and loneliness. She wasn't a fool who didn't see her child's flaws and would never let him shirk his responsibility or allow him to blame his mistakes on others. But she didn't have to make him suffer long. He made himself suffer far more than she thought necessary at times anyway. He was a good child after all. Always had been. Even at his age—nearly thirty-five!—he still managed to only hear what he wanted—both literally and figuratively.

She had wanted to tell him all those years ago that he shouldn't do anything hasty, that he should think through this extended absence, but she hadn't. His father, Jonathan, would have. Jonathan had never hesitated to speak his mind to his son, especially when he thought his son was in the wrong or about to make a mistake. She only prayed he would hear everything she said and those things she didn't.

He had made mistakes just like anyone. He had succumbed to a _human_ need to see for himself, to find himself. It had hurt people and those consequences were now causing him pain and guilt, but she couldn't allow him to wallow in self-pity. No, sir! Her son did not _wallow_!

She straightened a little, slipping her delicate, frail fingers beneath his chin and looked him in the eye. Despite his mistakes he was a good man. He had left for a very long time, it was true, left behind people he should not have, but no one could turn back the clock and she had to make him understand that. He needed to get on living life.

She would get him to see reason, she always did. Martha Kent was a stubborn woman and an even more determined mother. She would put him in his place then set him on the right path again. And he would listen to her. He always did.

After all, mother knows best.

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	6. King of Hearts

**A/N:** Okay, I know it's been forever, but I've had problems finding lyrics and, as this entire fic has been chapters based on songs, I didn't feel I could very well just write for it without them…And yes, this song isn't exactly right for Perry White, but it is a possibility. Despite the fact Perry is a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners kind of guy and doesn't seem to get emotionally involved in stories, I think everyone who looked to Superman for a bit of inspiration lost something when he left, so that's where this chapter comes from… The song is called "Solitare" performed by Sissel. Merry Christmas!

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own the characters or the lyrics to the song!

**King of Hearts**

_A little hope  
Goes up in smoke  
Just how it goes, goes without sayin´  
There was a man  
A lonely man  
Who would command the hand he´s playin´_

Perry White was not a young man. Not anymore. He was a newsman, husband, father. He'd seen some of the world's greatest atrocities and some of it's most awesome beauties. Kindness, indifference, hate, and love—he'd seen it all, written about it all. He thrived on all of it. He was a newsman through and through.

He commanded his newspaper and it's people like a chess player always moving, strategizing. The day Superman swooped out of the sky to save his best reporter, Perry White changed his strategy.

Despite the fact he had a loving wife and children, he always felt somewhat alone. He kept his work life separate from his personal one and with that separation came loneliness.

The day it became obvious Superman was really gone, a piece of him died. Some of his hope, one of the last corners of his idealism turned to ashes. The Savior of Metropolis, the Man of Steel who stood for Truth, Justice, and the American Way…had abandoned them without a word.

Life became routine again and the darkness started to encroach, regaining the ground it had lost when the hero had appeared. And Perry White still commanded his troops at the newspaper, though with less heart than he had before. He hadn't been so naïve to think Superman could save the world, but it had done everyone some good to have a hero to look up too. It had given them all hope. And now it was gone.

But the news waited for no man and so Perry kept moving, strategizing, but with less of himself than before.

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